28 Dec 2018 12:31:02
See us linked with a portugese RB today, and decided to have a look at the homegrown quota in the squad. Found a bit of a puzzle.

Andy Robertson is listed as homegrown by Echo and This is Anfield, but non-homegrown on the PL-site. Anyone ITK about his status?

By the way- 23 out of 25 senior players named with 7 homegrown, so we are ok in that regard either way.

Among the homegrown are Lallana and Clyne whom might be on their way. Replacing Clyne with that guy from Porto wouldn't really have an impact on our PL squad as I understand it. 6 homegrown out of 23 players would meet the minimum requirements, right?

Andy Thorne

{Ed002's Note - Andy Robertson is not HG.}

26 Dec 2018 19:15:58
Yeah, great. So now I have to worry about Spurs too. As if City wasn't enough. . Kidding aside, that game on 30/ 3 will be crucial.

And what a team we have. Can't see Ars coming away with anything, and the wheels have truly come off that City wagon, we'll smash 'em to bits. Up the reds!

Andy Thorne

1.) 26 Dec 2018 19:24:39
Man City may have had wheels fall off but their alloys are very expensive and top of the range. They will be up beyond beliefe for the Liverpool game. A draw will be a good result.

2.) 26 Dec 2018 19:37:29
Seems to be the case every time we show up to be serious contenders for the league suddenly there’s 2-3 other teams seriously putting up a challenge as well. There was no where near as much pressure on Chelsea (twice), Leicester and city when they won their leagues in recent years, but yeah I guess we’ll have to do it the hard way if we are to do it.

{Ed0333's Note - this will be the greatest premiership win in history imo (on par with Leicester). To beat the Qatari sovereign fund that have been building a formidable team for years will be an insane achievement.

3.) 26 Dec 2018 20:34:30
Afew weeks ago some pundits were saying that this man City team is possibly the best premier league team ever, well u have to say that about us now also. Leaders all through our team.

6.) 26 Dec 2018 20:33:43
Really Ed033? Leicester winning the league was a miracle, you've spent hundreds of millions trying to buy the league (and yes, i know we also have), no chance will it be as great as Leicester's win.

8.) 27 Dec 2018 00:01:26
I'm sorry, did people think this was going to be easy? Did people think that we are the only ones who have the right to challenge for the title and then maybe win it? Err, no. City may be having a rough time (their probs only just begun, IMO) BUT do not think for one second that they are just going to lay down and let us or Spurs, take their title w/ o a fight till the end. Pep is no mug. Those guys are going to figure it out, IMO. The issue is where will they be when that happen. Also, Spurs are in it for sure and we will have to deal with them too. Like Klopp, we should be ready to take on all and any comers. Why? Cos he is. Our manager and leader is ready to go the distance and take on whoever stands in his way, Are you?

03 Jan 2018 18:40:16
Are there any english/ british talent looked at now? Or are vi happy with what we got in terms of TAA, Gomez, Woodburn, Brewster and so on? Anyone ITK?

Andy Thorne

1.) 03 Jan 2018 18:49:05
Not ITK but I'd assume we're looking at a range of young British talent that we feel has the potential to make it to the first team and is within reach all the time, Sessegnon is one that comes to mind who I'm sure we have our eye on.

2.) 03 Jan 2018 19:32:47
I usually think to be first team in the future, they need to play at a young age - it's great Gomez and taa are getting time, Woodburn has had some jsut needs to beef up a bit for me! Ejaria, what's happened to anyone know?

23 Dec 2017 21:17:24
With the recent Migs mess in mind- how come we never seem to produce or buy a keeper who goes about his business cool calm and collected?

Some will say Reina did well for us, but he was quite prone to errors, especially on crosses. Dudek was brilliant in Istanbul, but other than that not so much. Westerveld- nah. Calamity James? Grobs? Have to go back to Clemence to find someone truly reliable, and he played for the club 36 years ago .

Is it "club DNA" whatever that is? Neglect? Anyone have a theory?

Andy Thorne

1.) 23 Dec 2017 21:38:07
Thing is that Grobs had genuine moments of brilliance. With moments of comedy keeping, but played behind two of the best centre backs the club has ever had.

2.) 23 Dec 2017 21:53:35
I'd disagree that Reina was prone to errors. At least whilst Rafa was the manager and he actually wanted to be here.

For some reason he seem to have one stinker a season (eg. '06 FA Cup Final, CL Quarter Final against Arsenal a couple of years later), but was generally very reliable for the other 40+ games he'd play. He wasn't the most agile keeper I've ever seen, tbf, but the rest of his game compensated for it.

Honestly, I think it could be partly coaching. Westerveld declined under Joe Corrigan's coaching, and people sometimes forget that Dudek was amazing in his first season here, but quickly became a jittery mess thereafter. And Achterberg, who's here now, doesn't seem to have improved Migs a jot.

In between those two we had first Paco Herrera and then Xavi Valero, a very well regarded goalkeeping coach, and our goalkeeping situation was fine.

3.) 23 Dec 2017 22:01:58
I would say Reina was a fantastic keeper for us and probably the best keeper we’ve had in my generation (i’m) 30. Every goalkeeper makes mistakes but some are highlighted more than others. Reina was a leader too which I think we’re really missing at the moment. There was a lot of talk that our goalkeeping coach is incompetent hence our difficulties.

4.) 23 Dec 2017 22:06:29
As for Brucie, he came in off the back of a 20 year spell where we only had two first choice goalies, so we were used to showing loyalty. Plus he at least offset his howlers by being one of the best shotstoppers around at his peak. Something you can't really say for poor old Simon.

Jamo was just not mentally up to it at the time and both Souness and Evans tried to replace him.

8.) 24 Dec 2017 01:53:55
Sure Reina was a great keeper in a Liverpool context, but not really a week in, week out kind of guy. Look at what the others had at the time. Pepe was alright but the best gk in 35 years for a club with ambition? Grobs was good too, worth watching but honestly never a top keeper.

Bad coaching is surely part of the answer. But how come 3 decades of managers has managed to get that particular recruitment wrong?

{Ed0333's Note - Grobs not a top keeper? Are you sure mate? Do you think Paisley would dabble with mediocre?

9.) 24 Dec 2017 02:32:32
If all these goalkeepers were not up to scratch and none of these keepers were not reliable as Andy is suggesting then i would be questioning our scouting system long before i would be looking at our goalkeeper coaches.

10.) 24 Dec 2017 09:11:26
As brilliant as Grobs were he was never one of the top 5 in the world at his prime. And never the consistent type. Wasn't that old at the time, but Clemence in contrast always seemed to do what was expected of him and often more.

No disrespect to Bruce, loved him as a showman and as a player. But he was never the steadying influence at the back. In fairness he didn't have to, with the defenders we had at that time. But just imagine him behind our CDs of today. Lovren would be on Xanax every match day.

Of our keepers Ward seems to have the most Steady-Eddie aura. But maybe that's wishful thinking on my part. Maybe put the future Couts-cash towards Oblak? The most reliable keeper close to absolute worldclass and not totally impossible to get.

{Ed002's Note - There is interest in Oblak from elsewhere, but not from Liverpool.}

11.) 24 Dec 2017 09:48:36
Excuse me, Andy but this "Ward is the best option" stuff has NO basis in fact nor reality and people may have that opinion, BUT it is factually unfounded. Allow me to explain. Like it or not, the Championship is NOT the EPL, fact. Therefore, no one knows what Ward would bring to the team in the PL/ CL as he has NEVER played consistently in the PL and is yet to start a CL game. Does that mean say Karius (as Migs is a non issue here) is better than Ward overall cos he's played these games? No. It also does not mean that Ward is better than Karius as Ward is not as experienced as he is now (the Bundesliga is not the Championship) and has played more PL games than Ward has. Ward has played 4 times for Klopp since he arrived and sorry, that is NOT enough to judge him as superior to Karius. It simply does not so again, that cannot be true.

What I'm trying to say is that Ward is not the best cos you nor I want him to be. He will need to have proven that at this level over time and that has not happened yet and Klopp is to blame for that as he should have sent him out on loan in the PL so he could prove that. So for me, Karius is the one that needs to come in now as he has earned it with his solid perfs. in the PL and CL. I can't even rate Ward cos he does not even play and one game in the EFL is NOT a yardstick to rate any GK.

{Ed025's Note - he was a good keeper ron...not ray clemence good mind..

13.) 24 Dec 2017 23:42:31
Gk coaching has got to be at least something to do with it. Its been going on a long time. Equally defensive mistakes gave been going on a long time especially set pieces. When managers and senior staff get sacked oither coaches carry on. Problems?

28 Dec 2018 17:06:09
One game at the time for the squad and Jurgen. But us fans should surely enjoy our own calculations and dreams. Part of the job as a fan, I'd say.

If we do win the next two, and Spurs drop 6 points from now til end of January, I really can't see us avoid winning the league. Might even have an extra bevvy after our Leicester match to celebrate if there is a 9 point gap to City and Spurs

Still a few too many ifs and buts, Pick up this discussion in a month?

28 Dec 2018 16:39:07
I really believe someone up the foodchain has told the refs to be aware of the little pulls on attackers shoulders. First 5-6 games nothing was called, I remember shouting at the telly when Salah was brought off balance like that for the umpteenth time v Brighton or maybe Leicester.

Last month or two there have been a few calls on this particular offense. The call v Newcastle was obvoiusly a bit soft, but I do think brings something to the game if the dribblers are given this protection, be it Salah, Hazard, Sané or whomever.

22 Dec 2018 18:33:48
Even if we have a 4 point lead on january 3 the pressure in City would be immense. They won't make up a 7 point gap, just imagine the panic if we take the lead.
Interesting times ahead.